View source for Belgorod

{{Short description|City in Belgorod Oblast, Russia}}
{{other uses}}
{{protection padlock|small=yes}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox Russian inhabited locality
|en_name=Belgorod
|ru_name=Белгород
|image_skyline = {{multiple image
|border = infobox
|total_width = 268
|image_style = border:1
|perrow = 1/2/2
|caption_align = center
|image1 =Белгород Belgorod (42492074221).jpg{{!}}Aerial view
|image2 =БелГосФилармония.JPG{{!}}State Philharmonic
|image3 =Белгород Драмтеатр Щепкина на Соборной площади 2020 г фото 2.jpg{{!}}Drama Theatre
|image4 =Belgorod Smolensky church.JPG{{!}}Church of the Theotokos of Smolensk
|image5 =Администрация Белгородской области.JPG{{!}}Oblast administration building
|caption1 = Aerial view
|caption2 = State Philharmonic
|caption3 = Drama Theatre
|caption4 = Church of the Theotokos
|caption5 = Oblast administration building
}}
|coordinates = {{coord|50|36|N|36|36|E|display=inline,title}}
|pushpin_map=Russia Belgorod Oblast#European Russia#Russia#Europe
|map_label_position=right
|image_coa=Coat of Arms of Belgorod.svg
|image_flag=Flag of Belgorod.svg
|holiday=5&nbsp;August
|holiday_ref=<ref name="Holiday">Charter of Belgorod Oblast, Article&nbsp;6</ref>
|federal_subject=[[Belgorod Oblast]]
|federal_subject_ref=<ref name="Ref16"/>
<!--|adm_data_as_of=July 2013-->
|adm_city_jur=[[city of federal subject significance|city of oblast significance]] of Belgorod
|adm_city_jur_ref=<ref name="Ref16"/>
|adm_ctr_of1=[[Belgorod Oblast]]
|adm_ctr_of1_ref=<ref name="Ref16"/>
|adm_ctr_of2=city of oblast significance of Belgorod
|adm_ctr_of2_ref=<ref name="Ref16"/>
|inhabloc_cat=City
|inhabloc_cat_ref=<ref name="Ref16"/>
|urban_okrug_jur=Belgorod Urban Okrug
|urban_okrug_jur_ref=<ref name="Ref24"/>
|mun_admctr_of=Belgorod Urban Okrug
|mun_admctr_of_ref=<ref name="Ref24"/>
|leader_title={{ill|Mayor of Belgorod|lt=Mayor|ru|Главы Белгорода}}
|leader_title_ref=<ref name="HeadTitle">Charter of Belgorod, Article&nbsp;35</ref>
|leader_name=[[Valentin Demidov]]<ref>{{Cite web|language=ru|url=https://www.rbc.ru/politics/31/10/2022/635f93d59a794767cf966760|title=Мэр Белгорода ушел в отставку|website=www.rbc.ru|date=31 October 2022}}</ref> ([[United Russia|UR]])
|representative_body=[[Council of Deputies of Belgorod|Council of Deputies]]
|representative_body_ref=<ref name="Legis">Charter of Belgorod, Article&nbsp;26</ref>
|pop_2010census=356402
|pop_2010census_rank=49th
|pop_2010census_ref=<ref name="2010Census">{{ru-pop-ref|2010Census}}</ref>
|pop_latest=384425
|pop_latest_date=January 2015
|pop_latest_ref=<ref name="2015Est">Belgorod Oblast Territorial Branch of the [[Russian Federal State Statistics Service|Federal State Statistics Service]]. [http://belg.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_ts/belg/resources/33fdb10047f3b6d391c6b5ed3bc4492f/peoplmo.htm Численность населения Белгородской области по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2015 года] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518102109/http://belg.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_ts/belg/resources/33fdb10047f3b6d391c6b5ed3bc4492f/peoplmo.htm |date=18 May 2015 }} {{in lang|ru}}</ref>
|established_date=1596
|established_date_ref=<ref name="gr"/>
|postal_codes=308000–308002, 308004–308007, 308009–308020, 308023–308027, 308029, 308031–308034, 308036, 308099, 308700, 308880, 308890, 308899, 308940, 308960, 308961, 308967, 308971–308974, 308991–308994
|dialing_codes=472
|dialing_codes_ref=<ref name="Dialing Code">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dialingcode.com/country/russia-belgorod|title = Dialing Code for Belgorod - Russia}}</ref>
|website=http://www.beladm.ru
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 10
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
| mapframe-marker = city
}}

'''Belgorod''' ({{langx|ru|Белгород}}, {{IPA|ru|ˈbʲelɡərət|pron}}) is a [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|city]] that serves as the administrative center of [[Belgorod Oblast]], [[Russia]], located on the [[Donets|Seversky Donets River]], approximately {{convert|40|km|sp=us}} north of the [[Russia–Ukraine border|border with Ukraine]]. It has a population of {{ru-census2021|339,978|.}}

It was founded in 1596 as a defensive fort on the southern border of Russia. Contested by various Russian and Ukrainian factions during [[World War I]] and the [[Russian Civil War]], the city served as the temporary Soviet Ukrainian capital at the turn of 1918 and 1919.<ref name=ist/>

==Etymology==
The name ''Belgorod'' (Белгород) in [[Russian language|Russian]] literally means "white city", a compound of "{{lang|ru|белый}}" (''bely'', "white, light") and "{{lang|ru|город}}" (''gorod'', "town, city"). The name is a reference to the region's historical abundance of [[limestone]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rusmania.com/central/belgorod-region/belgorod/history/|title=History of Belgorod |website=rusmania.com|language=en|access-date=5 July 2018}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{further|Demographics of Russia}}
The population of Belgorod is 339,978 as of the most recent censuses:
{{ru-census|p2021=339,978|p2010=356,402|p2002=337,030|p1989=300,408}}

As of the [[Russian Census (2021)|2021 Census]], the ethnic composition of Belgorod was:

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! rowspan="2" |Ethnicity
! colspan="2" |2010<ref name="ВПН-2010">{{cite web |title=Том 4. Национальный состав и владение языками. Гражданство |url=https://31.rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/%D0%A2%D0%9E%D0%9C_4.rar |access-date=24 May 2023 |publisher=Территориальный органФедеральной службы государственной статистикипо Белгородской области}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2021<ref name="ВПН-2020">{{cite web |title=Национальный состав населения |url=https://31.rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/pub-05-01(4).pdf |access-date=24 May 2023 |publisher=Территориальный органФедеральной службы государственной статистикипо Белгородской области}}</ref>
|-
! Number !! % !! Number<sup>1</sup> !! %
|-
| [[Russians]] ||312,104 || 94.1% || 174,787 || 92.0%
|-
| [[Ukrainians]] || 11,120 || 3.4% || 4,109 || 2.2%
|-
| Others || 8,386 || 2.5% || 11,151 || 5.8% 
|-
|}
<sup>1</sup>149,931 people (or 44.1% of the population) residing in Belgorod did not state their ethnicity in the 2021 census.

{{Historical populations|align=left|cols=2|1897|27000|1926|31000|1939|34359|1959|72278|1970|151336|1979|239814|1989|300408|2002|337030|2010|356402|2021|339978|type=|footnote=Source: Census data}}
{{clear|left}}

==Geography==
===Urban layout===
{{trivia|section|date=September 2022}}
Like many Russian cities, Belgorod began as a fortified settlement. The oldest Belgorod fortress was built at the end of the 16th century on a [[chalk]] mountain. According to scientific excavations and surviving archival data, the first fortress outpost was erected in 1596.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hedclub.com/en/publication/russia_at_a_glance_belgorod_451/en|title=Russia At a Glance. Belgorod|publisher=HED|accessdate=1 November 2023}}</ref> The site of the construction of the defensive facility was the top of the Belaya Gora ("White Mountain"). This is the highest point of the right bank of the Seversky Donets channel. On 17 September 1650, voivode Vasily Petrovich Golovin laid the foundation for the third Belgorod Fortress on the left bank of the Vezenitsa River, which flows into the Seversky Donets.<ref>{{cite book|title=История Белгородской крепости на берегу реки Везелицы в контексте развития геодезического краеведения|language=ru|author=Сальникова О.Н.}}</ref> In the fall of 1650, a wooden fort with 11 towers was attached to the rampart of the Belgorod line, which runs from the fortress town Bolkhovets to the mouth of the Vezelka River in the area of the former brewery. The two parts of the city were connected by the Nikolskaya Passage Tower located in the eastern wall of the Kremlin. The position of the eastern wall of the Kremlin corresponded to the modern street of the 50th anniversary of the Belgorod Oblast. With the expansion of the borders of the [[Tsardom of Russia|Russian state]], the military significance of the Belgorod fortress gradually decreased and by the middle of the 18th century, only the Kremlin remained from the formidable fortress.<ref>{{cite book|title=Белгород: Очерк о прошлом, настоящем и будущем города|language=ru|author=П.М. Беляев, А.П. Чиченков|year=1962|pages=150–154}}</ref>
[[File:Male Monastery in Belgorod.jpg|thumb|left|Men's Monastery in 1911]]

In the fall of 1766, the new governor, Andrei Fliverk pushed for a new city plan. A regular street plan was developed and signed on 18 April 1767. The architect's signature is not legible, but it may have been signed by [[Andrey Kvasov]]. The central part of the plan was occupied by an octahedral "marketplace" with 64 stone shops and 20 warehouse barns. Moskovskaya, Kievskaya, Voronezhskaya and Kharkovskaya streets ran from the trading area in four directions. According to the plan, it was supposed to divide the entire city into 16 quarters, 4 of which should be built up with stone houses, and the rest with wooden and huts. The plan was executed formally without taking into account the buildings that survived the fire, the Kremlin fortress and the terrain.<ref>{{cite book|title=Белгород: Очерк о прошлом, настоящем и будущем города|language=ru|author=П.М. Беляев, А.П. Чиченков|year=1962|pages=156–158}}</ref> On 28 April 1768, a new plan was developed<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bel.cultreg.ru/overviews/176/istoriya-grazhdanskogo-prospekta-samoi-staroi-ulicy-belgoroda|title=ИСТОРИЯ ГРАЖДАНСКОГО ПРОСПЕКТА — САМОЙ СТАРОЙ УЛИЦЫ БЕЛГОРОДА|language=ru|accessdate=30 October 2023}}</ref> under the leadership of [[Andrey Kvasov]] who was the author of a number of city plans. The plans overlaid the old city center layout and the projected one. It provided for a trading area, which in the west adjoined the fortress Kremlin, and in the east ended with stone benches of the [[Gostiny dvor]] in the form of two arcs. The central planning axis was also chosen relative to which the directions of mutually [[perpendicular]] streets were formed.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Travel notes which were published in 1781 showed the location of a sketch of the ramparts of the lost ancient settlement. Only in the middle of the 1950s, the archaeologist [[Arkady Nikitin]] carried out excavations at the site of the first fortress, where the remains of ancient ramparts and ditches were still clearly visible.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://historybel.narod.ru/razdor.htm|title=Письмо в редакцию по поводу "1000-летия" г. Белгорода|language=ru|publisher=historybel.narod.ru|accessdate=1 November 2023}}</ref> though the fortress itself was destroyed already in the 1860s during the construction of the railway the eastern part of the chalk mountain, on which the Kremlin was located, was collapsed. The location of the first fortress approximately corresponded to the location of the modern car market on Byelaya Gora.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Belgorod Krepost|journal=Sovitskaya Archeologia|volume=3|pages=262–264}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= Путешественныя записки Василья Зуева от С. Петербурга до Херсона в 1781 и 1782 году|language=ru|author=Зуев, Василий Федорович|year=1762}}</ref>

In the 1780s, during the general survey of the Russian lands, several plans of Belgorod were fulfilled. When drawing up plans, an overlay of the old and new layouts of Kvasov was used. The plans described above give a distorted position of church estates, which were fixed when the city was laid and, as a rule, did not change. The plan, signed by the titular adviser Salkov, is the most accurate plan of Belgorod in the second half of the 18th century.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ssafro-n.livejournal.com/1049.html|title=КРАСОТА РЕГУЛЯРСТВА|website=ssafro-n.livejournal.com|date=9 January 2013 }}</ref>

===Climate===
Belgorod's climate is [[Humid continental climate|humid continental]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfb'' slightly cooler than ''Dfa'') featuring moderate precipitation.
Winters are rather cold and changeable with frequent warmings followed by rains. Temperatures may occasionally fall below {{convert|-15|°C|0}} for about one week or more. Summer is warm and either humid and rainy or hot and droughty. Autumn is mild and rainy. The Belgorod reservoirs get covered with ice by the end of November or the beginning of December, and the ice layer typically lasts until March or April.
*average year [[temperature]]: + 7.7&nbsp;°C
*average [[humidity]]: 76%
*average wind speed: 5–7&nbsp;m/s
*average precipitation {{convert|380|-|620|mm|2|abbr=on}}, mostly in summer.
{{Weather box
|metric first=yes
|single line=yes
|location=Belgorod
|Jan record high C =6.6
|Feb record high C =12.3
|Mar record high C =19.4
|Apr record high C =25.6
|May record high C =34.4
|Jun record high C =35.7
|Jul record high C =38.9
|Aug record high C =36.3
|Sep record high C =33.5
|Oct record high C =27.6
|Nov record high C =17.4
|Dec record high C =8.9

|Jan high C  =-3.0
|Feb high C  =-2.9
|Mar high C  =2.8
|Apr high C  =13.2
|May high C  =20.5
|Jun high C  =23.9
|Jul high C  =26.0
|Aug high C  =25.2
|Sep high C  =18.6
|Oct high C  =11.1
|Nov high C  =1.9
|Dec high C  =-2.6
|year high C =11.3

|Jan mean C  =-6.1
|Feb mean C  =-6.1
|Mar mean C  =-0.4
|Apr mean C  =8.9
|May mean C  =15.5
|Jun mean C  =19.4
|Jul mean C  =21.8
|Aug mean C  =21.2
|Sep mean C  =15.1
|Oct mean C  =8.0
|Nov mean C  =-0.4
|Dec mean C  =-5.6
|year mean C =7.7

|Jan low C  =-10.0
|Feb low C  =-9.9
|Mar low C  =-4.0
|Apr low C  =-0.4
|May low C  =9.7
|Jun low C  =14.1
|Jul low C  =16.8
|Aug low C  =16.3
|Sep low C  =10.9
|Oct low C  =4.7
|Nov low C  =-2.8
|Dec low C  =-9
|year low C =3.5

|Jan record low C =-34.5
|Feb record low C =-29.7
|Mar record low C =-31.1
|Apr record low C =-9.7
|May record low C =-3.1
|Jun record low C =2.9
|Jul record low C =8.7
|Aug record low C =7.1
|Sep record low C =-2.5
|Oct record low C =-6.2
|Nov record low C =-21
|Dec record low C =-32.1
|precipitation colour  = green
|Jan precipitation mm  =39
|Feb precipitation mm  =35
|Mar precipitation mm  =35
|Apr precipitation mm  =32
|May precipitation mm  =53
|Jun precipitation mm  =55
|Jul precipitation mm  =64
|Aug precipitation mm  =37
|Sep precipitation mm  =46
|Oct precipitation mm  =46
|Nov precipitation mm  =40
|Dec precipitation mm  =44
|year precipitation mm =
|unit precipitation days =1 mm
|Jan precipitation days  =11
|Feb precipitation days  =9
|Mar precipitation days  =9
|Apr precipitation days  =7
|May precipitation days  =8
|Jun precipitation days  =7
|Jul precipitation days  =7
|Aug precipitation days  =5
|Sep precipitation days  =7
|Oct precipitation days  =7
|Nov precipitation days  =8
|Dec precipitation days  =10
|year precipitation days =

|source 1= Климатические нормы (precipitation-precip days 1991-2020),<ref>{{cite web 
 |url=https://meteoinfo.ru/climatcities 
 |title=Climatic Norms: Belgorod
 |script-title=ru: Климатические нормы
 |publisher= Hydrometeo Center of Russia
 |access-date = 7 February 2025
|language = Russian
 }}</ref> belgorod-meteo.ru <ref>{{cite web 
 |url=http://belgorod-meteo.ru/belgorod/pivot/temperature 
 |title=Belgorod oblast meteodata 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228150239/http://belgorod-meteo.ru/belgorod/years/avg-air-temp
 |archive-date=28 December 2011
|url-status=dead
 }}</ref>
|source 2 = world-climates.com <ref>{{cite web
 |url = http://www.world-climates.com/city-climate-belgorod-russia-europe/
 |title = Belgorod Climate
 |access-date = 15 February 2016
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160122091339/http://www.world-climates.com/city-climate-belgorod-russia-europe/
 |archive-date = 22 January 2016
|url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

}}

==History==
{{More citations needed|section|date=April 2022}}

===Before the 20th century===
[[File:Belgorod 8 (35226536836).jpg|thumb|Monument to Grand Prince [[Vladimir the Great]] in Belgorod]]
There was a settlement of the [[Slavs|Slavic]] tribe of [[Severians]] in the area, which was probably destroyed at the beginning of the 10th century by the nomadic [[Pechenegs]]. In 965, the lands in the upper reaches of Seversky Donets were annexed to the [[Principality of Pereyaslavl]].

Records first mention the settlement in 1237, when the Mongol-led army of [[Batu Khan]] ravaged it during the [[Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus']]. It is unclear whether this Belgorod stood on the same site as the current city. In 1596 Tsar [[Feodor I of Russia|Feodor Ioannovich]] of Russia ordered its re-establishment as one of numerous forts set up to [[Muravsky Trail|defend Russian southern borders]] from the [[khanate of Crimea|Crimean Tatars]].<ref name="gr">{{cite book |title= Энциклопедия Города России |year= 2003 |publisher= Большая Российская Энциклопедия |location= Moscow |isbn= 5-7107-7399-9 |page= 39}}</ref> Belgorod was part of a chain of [[Great Zasechnaya cherta|fortification lines]], created by [[Grand Duchy of Moscow]] and later the [[Tsardom of Russia]] to protect it from the [[Crimean–Nogai slave raids in Eastern Europe|Crimean–Nogai slave raids]] that ravaged the southern provinces of the country during the [[Russo-Crimean Wars]].<ref>Khodarkovsky, Michael, "Russia's Steppe Frontier", 2002.</ref> The tsar appointed two princes-governors to supervise the construction of Belgorod: Mikhail Vasilyevich Nozdrovaty and Andrei Romanovich Volkonsky. The first Belgorod fortress was built on the high right bank of the Seversky Donets, in the area of the current car market; the Belgorod Kremlin was close to the present-day Belaya Gora restaurant. The legendary White Mountain has not survived, as it was completely torn down for chalk mining in the 1950s.
[[File:Белгородская крепость.jpg|thumb|Belgorod fortress in the 17th century]]
The first Belgorod fortress stood for sixteen years, withstanding several major attacks, both from the Tatars and from the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish–Lithuanian]] troops who participated in the [[Polish–Muscovite Wars (1605–1618)|wars with the Russian state]] during the [[Time of Troubles]]. In 1612 the Belgorod fortress was taken and burned by a detachment of Lithuanians. The governor, Nikita Likharev, by order of the tsar, was already building the second Belgorod fortress on the opposite bank of the Seversky Donets the following year, 1613. Over the next decades, Belgorodians repulsed a large number of attacks on their lands. By the middle of the 17th century, the question arose about the construction of a new Belgorod fortress three kilometers south of the existing one.

In the 17th century Belgorod suffered repeatedly from [[Black Sea slave trade|Tatar incursions]], against which Russia built (from 1633 to 1740) an earthen wall, with twelve forts, extending upwards of {{convert|200|mi|abbr=off}} from the [[Vorskla River|Vorskla]] in the west to the [[Don River (Russia)|Don]] in the east, and called the {{Interlanguage link|Belgorod line|ru|3=Белгородская черта}}. In 1666 the [[Russian Orthodox Church|Moscow Patriarchate]] established an [[Diocese of Belgorod and Stary Oskol|archiepiscopal see]] in the town.<ref>{{EB1911|inline=1 |wstitle=Byelgorod |volume=4|page=895}}</ref>

Tsar [[Peter the Great]] visited Belgorod on the eve of the [[Battle of Poltava]] in 1709.

After the Russian border moved south following successful wars against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the second half of the 17th century, the strategic importance of the city gradually decreased, and on 13 May 1785, by decree of [[Catherine the Great|Catherine II]], Belgorod was excluded from the number of fortresses of the [[Russian Empire]]. From that moment on, the city plunged into the measured provincial life of the central black earth zone of Russia. Military life was replaced by agricultural life, the number of spiritual, educational, industrial and commercial institutions were growing, and in the historical chronicles of the Russian Empire, the city seems to have fallen asleep for a century. The Belgorod province disappeared from the geographical maps, and the city was for a long time a part of the first [[Kursk Governorate]], then the Kursk province, and, finally, the Kursk region. A [[dragoon]] regiment had its base in the town until 1917. 
[[File:Prokudin-Gorsky. Square in Belgorod, during the celebration of the canonization of Ioasaf of Belgorod, September 4, 1911.jpg|thumb|[[canonization|Glorification]] of [[Joasaph of Belgorod|Joasaph]], Belgorod, 4 September 1911]]
[[Joasaph of Belgorod]], an 18th-century bishop of Belgorod and Oboyanska, became widely venerated as a miracle worker and was [[Russian Orthodox Church#Canonization|glorified]] as a saint of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] in 1911.

===20th and 21st centuries===
[[File:Общий вид старого Белгорода.jpg|thumb|View of Belgorod in 1912]]

Soviet power was established in the city on 26 October (8 November) 1917. On 10 April 1918, troops of the [[Imperial German Army]] occupied Belgorod. After the conclusion of the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (Ukraine–Central Powers)|Brest-Litovsk peace treaty]] of 9 February 1918 the demarcation line passed to the north of the city. Belgorod became part of the newly proclaimed [[Ukrainian People's Republic]] (February to May 1918) and [[Ukrainian State]] headed by [[Hetman]] [[Pavlo Skoropadskyi]].

On 20 December 1918, after the overthrow of German-backed Skoropadskyi, the Soviet [[Red Army]] regained control over the city. From 24 December 1918 to 7 January 1919, the [[Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government of Ukraine]], then led by General [[Georgy Pyatakov]], was based in Belgorod, before its relocation to [[Kharkiv]]. The city was then claimed by both the Ukrainian and Russian Soviet authorities.<ref name=ist>{{cite web|url=https://www.istpravda.com.ua/articles/2014/03/10/141801/|title=Про кордон між радянською Україною і більшовицькою Росією. 1919 рік|language=uk|access-date=15 June 2025}}</ref> On 7 February 1919, it was recognized as part of the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]]; however, Soviet Ukraine still tried to regain the city.<ref name=ist/> Russian Communists justified the incorporation into Russia by the area's agricultural importance to Russia and the possibility of the collapse of Soviet power in Ukraine, as a result of which Russia would lose its claim to the city.<ref name=ist/> From 23 June to 7 December 1919, the [[Volunteer Army]] occupied the town as part of [[White movement|White]]-controlled [[South Russia (1919–1920)|South Russia]].

From September 1925, the territorial 163rd Infantry Regiment of the 55th Infantry Division of Kursk was stationed in Belgorod. In September 1939, it was deployed to the 185th Infantry Division.

On 2 March 1935, the [[Presidium of the Central Executive Committee]] of the Soviet Union decided to allocate the city of Belgorod, Kursk region, into an independent administrative unit directly subordinate to the [[Kursk Oblast|Kursk Region]]al Executive Committee.

The German [[Wehrmacht]] occupied Belgorod from 25 October 1941 to 9 February 1943. The Germans operated a [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] battalion for Jews in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100002173|title=Jüdisches Arbeitsbataillon Belgorod|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=15 June 2024|language=de}}</ref> The Germans re-captured it on 18 March 1943 in the final move of the [[Third Battle of Kharkov]]. On 12 July 1943, during the [[Battle of Kursk]], the largest [[tank]] battle in world history took place near [[Prokhorovka, Belgorod Oblast|Prokhorovka]], and the Red Army definitively retook the city on 5/6 August 1943. The {{ill|Belgorod Diorama|de|Diorama-Museum „Kursker Schlacht. Gebiet Belgorod“}} is one of the World War II monuments commemorating the event.
<!--  Once again, the name of Belgorod becomes known throughout the country during the difficult wartime of the Great Patriotic War. On 5 August 1943, during the Battle of Kursk, Belgorod and Orel were liberated from the German fascist invaders. On the same day, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin signed his order number 2: "Today, on August 5, at 24 o'clock, the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, will salute our valiant troops that liberated Oryol and Belgorod with twelve artillery salvos from 120 guns." From that moment on, Belgorod bears the unofficial title "The City of the First Fireworks", and the fifth of August is celebrated by modern Belgorodians as the City Day.<ref>https://mkoinov.livejournal.com/53108.html {{Bare URL inline|date=May 2022}}</ref>  -->

In 1954, the city became the administrative center of [[Belgorod Oblast]] and rapidly developed as a regional industrial and cultural center.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://russia-ic.com/regions/5104/5109/|title=Belgorod :: Regions & Cities :: Russia-InfoCentre |website=russia-ic.com|access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref> The major educational centers of the city are [[Belgorod State University]], the [[Belgorod Technological University]], the {{Interlanguage link|Belgorod Agrarian University|ru|3=Белгородский государственный аграрный университет}}, and the Financial Academy. Belgorod Drama Theater is named after the famous 19th-century actor [[Mikhail Shchepkin]], who was born in this region.
[[File:Белгород Belgorod (42422176472).jpg|thumb|View of Belgorod in 2018]]
On 22 April 2013, [[2013 Belgorod shooting|a mass shooting]] occurred at approximately 2:20 PM [[Moscow]] time on a street in Belgorod. The shooter, identified as 31-year-old Sergey Pomazun ({{langx|ru|Сергей Помазун}}), opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle on several people at a gun store and on a sidewalk, killing all six people whom he hit: three people at the store and three passers-by, including two teenage girls. Pomazun was apprehended after an extensive day-long manhunt; during his arrest, he wounded a policeman with a knife. He was sentenced to life in prison on 23 August 2013.

There were several [[Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine|attacks]] on Belgorod during the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]]. Russian officials claimed that Belgorod was repeatedly targeted by indiscriminate Ukrainian attacks.<ref>{{cite news |title=120 People Killed in Russian Border Region Since Invasion of Ukraine, Governor Says |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/04/23/120-people-killed-in-russian-border-region-since-invasion-of-ukraine-governor-says-a84934 |work=The Moscow Times |date=23 April 2024 |language=en}}</ref> On 1 April 2022, two Ukrainian [[Mil Mi-24|Mi-24]] performed a night raid and set fire to a fuel depot in Belgorod, in a low-altitude airstrike.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ukraine attacks Russian oil depot as Mariupol awaits evacuations and Putin's troops abandon Chernobyl |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-ukraine-war-news-chernobyl-belgorod-oil-depot-attack/ |access-date=2 April 2022 |agency=[[CBS News]] |date=1 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Axe |first1=David |title=Ukrainian Attack Helicopters Just Slipped Into Russia And Blew Up A Fuel Depot |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/04/01/ukrainian-attack-helicopters-just-slipped-into-russia-and-blew-up-a-fuel-depot/?sh=104e84a3738e |work=Forbes |access-date=1 April 2022}}</ref> On 20 April 2023, a Russian [[Sukhoi Su-34|Su-34]] fighter jet accidentally [[2023 Belgorod accidental bombing|dropped a bomb]] on the city, leaving a crater {{convert|20|metres}} across and injuring two people.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wright |first=George |date=21 April 2023 |title=Ukraine war: Russian warplane 'accidentally bombs own city' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65344370 |work=BBC News |access-date=21 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Lendon |first1=Radina |last2=Gigova |first2=Victoria |last3=Butenko |first3=Josh |last4=Pennington |first4=Brad |date=21 April 2023 |title=Russian jet drops bomb on Russian city, state media says |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/20/europe/russia-belgorod-accidental-bombing-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=21 April 2023 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> On 22 April, more than 3,000 people were evacuated from their homes after an undetonated explosive was found; it was not known if the second bomb had come from the same aircraft.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65358070|title=Russia's Belgorod sees mass evacuations over undetonated bomb|website=[[BBC News]]|date=22 April 2023}}</ref> On 30 December, an [[30 December 2023 Belgorod shelling|alleged Ukrainian airstrike]] killed 25 people and wounded over 100.<ref>{{cite news |title=How Belgorod has suffered from Ukraine's retaliation strikes| agency=Deutsche Welle |date=9 January 2024 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/how-belgorod-has-suffered-from-ukraines-retaliation-strikes/a-67931218 |work=dw.com |language=en}}</ref> In March 2024, authorities began evacuating 9,000 children from the city and wider region due to shelling and drone attacks.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia Moves 5,000 Children From Belgorod After Kyiv Attacks |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/03/30/russia-moves-5000-children-from-belgorod-after-kyiv-attacks-a84687 |work=The Moscow Times |date=30 March 2024 |language=en}}</ref> On 6 May, at least six people were killed following a Ukrainian drone strike.<ref>{{cite news |title=6 Killed in Ukrainian Drone Attack on Russia’s Belgorod |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/05/06/6-killed-in-ukrainian-drone-attack-on-russias-belgorod-a85041 |work=The Moscow Times |date=6 May 2024 |language=en}}</ref> On 12 May 16 people were killed when a section of an apartment block collapsed. [[Ministry of Defence (Russia)|Russian MOD]] claimed it as a Ukrainian missile strike.<ref>{{cite news |title=Death Toll in Missile Attack on Russia’s Belgorod Climbs to 16 |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/05/14/death-toll-in-missile-attack-on-russias-belgorod-climbs-to-16-a85116 |work=The Moscow Times |date=14 May 2024 |language=en}}</ref> [[Conflict Intelligence Team|CIT]] investigators said the building was most likely hit by a Russian bomb, as the explosion occurred on the North-Eastern side of the building, opposite to the border with Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CIT: Вероятно, дом в Белгороде был разрушен боеприпасом РФ – DW – 13.05.2024 |url=https://www.dw.com/ru/cit-veroatno-dom-v-belgorode-byl-razrusen-rossijskim-boepripasom/a-69067038 |access-date=28 May 2024 |website=dw.com |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=14 May 2024 |title="Не знаю, во что верить". Какая ракета разрушила дом в Белгороде |url=https://www.severreal.org/a/ne-znayu-vo-chto-verit-kakaya-bomba-razrushila-dom-v-belgorode/32944803.html |access-date=28 May 2024 |website=Север.Реалии |language=ru}}</ref> On 28 September 2025, Ukraine's [[M142 HIMARS|HIMARS]] struck the Belgorod thermal power plant, causing a "complete power outage" in Belgorod and surrounding areas.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Basmat |first1=Dmytro |title=Ukrainian HIMARS reportedly strike thermal power plant in Russia's Belgorod Oblast |url=https://kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-himars-reportedly-strike-thermal-power-plant-in-russias-belgorod-oblast/ |work=[[The Kyiv Independent]] |date=28 September 2025}}</ref>

==Administrative and municipal status==
[[File:Белгород Вид со стадиона Энергомаш 21.jpg|thumb|Bogdan Khmelnitsky Avenue in Belgorod]]
Belgorod is the [[administrative center]] of the [[oblast]].<ref name="Ref16">Law #248</ref> Within the [[subdivisions of Russia#Administrative divisions|framework of administrative divisions]], it is incorporated as the [[city of federal subject significance|city of oblast significance]] of Belgorod—an administrative unit with status equal to that of the [[administrative divisions of Belgorod Oblast|districts]].<ref name="Ref16"/> As a [[subdivisions of Russia#Municipal divisions|municipal division]], the city of oblast significance of Belgorod is incorporated as Belgorod Urban Okrug.<ref name="Ref24">Law #159</ref>

For administrative purposes, Belgorod is divided into two city [[okrug]]s:
*[[Vostochny City Okrug, Belgorod|Vostochny]] ("Eastern"), population: 141,844 (2010 Census)<ref name="2010Census"/>
*[[Zapadny City Okrug, Belgorod|Zapadny]] ("Western"), population: 214,558 (2010 Census)<ref name="2010Census"/>

==Transportation==
[[File:Belgorod bus 08.JPG|thumb|right|LiAZ-5293 CNG low-entry bus]]
[[File:Belgorod trolleybus 14.jpg|thumb|right|AKSM-420 Vitovt trolleybus]]
There has been a railway connection between Belgorod and Moscow since 1869.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nnov-airport.ru/rus/wokzal_belgorod.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929092539/http://www.nnov-airport.ru/rus/wokzal_belgorod.html|url-status=dead|title=Train Station in Belgorod |language=ru|archivedate=29 September 2013}}</ref> The city is served by [[Belgorod International Airport]] (EGO) in the north of the city.

There are two bus stations: Bus Belgorod, Belgorod- 2 Bus Terminal (located on the forecourt), and the bus stop complex Energomash. The Energomash bus station is mainly for commuter buses. Buses run from the Belgorod-2 station mainly to nearby regional centers, and depart in accordance with the arrival of trains.{{fact|date=June 2025}}

Trolleybus services were discontinued on 30 June 2022 and replaced by diesel buses, despite public support for retention of the trolleybus system. The officially cited reason for the closure was inadequate condition of the overhead contact lines and insufficient funds for its modernization. The length of trolley lines was over {{convert|120|km|0|abbr=on}}. Trolleybus city park consisted of 150 pieces of equipment, mainly Russian-made trolley ZiU-682V, 2 units ZiU-683, operated from 1990, and 3 units ZiU-6205, 30 units "Optima", and one trolley Skoda-VSW -14Tr, which started operation in 1996. The city administration purchased 15 new ZiU-682G trolleybuses in 2002, another 20 new ZiU-682Gs in 2005, 30 Trolza-5275.05 "Optima" trolleybuses in 2011, and 20 new ACSM-420 trolleybuses in 2013.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}

==Culture and art==
[[File:У драм. театра им. Щепкина.jpg|thumb|Belgorod Drama Theater]]
[[File:White Mask 2014-09-5 25b.jpg|thumb|Street art festival in Belgorod]]
'''Theaters'''
*Belgorod Drama Theater
*Belgorod Puppet Theater
*Two monkeys, Belgorod clowning theater

'''Museums'''
*Belgorod historical museum
*Belgorod Art Museum
*Belgorod Museum of Folk Culture
*Belgorod Diorama of the Tank Battle of 1943

'''Festivals'''
*White mask, a festival of street arts

==Notable people==
*[[Joasaph of Belgorod]], 18th century bishop
*[[Viktoria Brezhneva]], wife of Soviet leader [[Leonid Brezhnev]]
*[[Svetlana Khorkina]], Olympic gymnast
*[[Natalia Zuyeva]], Olympic rhythmic gymnast
*[[Alexey Shved]], basketball player
*[[Vadim Nemkov]], mixed martial artist
*[[Nikita Bedrin]], racing driver

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia}}

Belgorod is [[sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web|title=Внешние связи|url=http://www.beladm.ru/o-belgorode/mezhdunarodnaya-deyatelnost/|website=beladm.ru|publisher=Belgorod|language=ru|access-date=3 February 2020|archive-date=5 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905074332/http://www.beladm.ru/town/partners/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia|Herne]], Germany
*{{flagicon|SRB}} [[Niš]], Serbia
*{{flagicon|RUS}}/{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Sevastopol]], Russia (''[[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|de facto]]''), Ukraine (''de jure'')
*{{flagicon|RUS}}/{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Yevpatoria]], Russia (''[[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|de facto]]''), Ukraine (''de jure'')
<!--rest - not twinning-->
{{div col end}}

Former twin town:
*{{Flagicon|GBR}} [[Wakefield]], United Kingdom. The tie was severed by the British city following the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 February 2022 |title=Ukraine: Wakefield to sever ties with Russian twin city |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-60558411 |access-date=28 February 2022}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{RussiaBasicLawRef|bel|belgorod}}
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|bel|adm|law}}
*{{RussiaAdmMunRef|bel|mun|list}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{Official website|https://www.beladm.ru/ }} {{in lang|ru}}
*[https://belgorod.jsprav.ru/ Directory of organizations in Belgorod] {{in lang|ru}}
*[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60952125 War in Ukraine: Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking oil depot]. ''[[BBC News]]'', 1 April 2022

{{Belgorod Oblast}}
{{Cities of Military Glory}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Belgorod| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:Belgorodsky Uyezd]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Belgorod Oblast]]